Night of the Meek

[Durandal_1707]

http://sfdebris.com/videos/twilightzone/tzs2e11.php

No final score for this one! Although Chuck seems to have liked it. Never one of my favorites, TBH. Too weirdly un-TZ for my tastes.

[Deledrius]

Never one of my favorites, TBH. Too weirdly un-TZ for my tastes.

Strange, because I love it despite this! I hadn't even really thought about how different this episode was from the popular understanding of the show until he pointed it out. I think the Twilight Zone has a lot more varied modalities than people remember. This one is still odd, unexpected, and a bit supernatural while telling an Aesop, and I think that's really the core of the show. It's a show that's always about something, and it doesn't mind doing a little what-if? to get there. It doesn't always need a downer twist or haunting ambiguity to stick with you and make its point.

In recent years I've been thinking that it's a shame we really don't have a modern equivalent. There's a lot of morality and ethical quandaries posed by this show that aren't addressed in anything I'm aware of today.

[Darth Wedgius]

There was a decent variety in the original Twilight Zone, with occasional comedic stories and, more frequently, people we rooted for winning out in the end. A lot of the twist endings were to people who got hit by karma from the fifth dimension.

OTOH if this had been an episode of The Outer Limits from the 90s, the cat would have been rabid and bitten the elf.

[Blaze Rocker]

I saw it on Chuck's schedule and watched it on Netflix a week ago. I liked it and was surprised that I've managed to miss it on television despite all the episodes I've seen on SyFy.
My two-cents would be that it feels less like a Twilight Zone episode and more like an episode of Amazing Stories from back in the 80s. It's not a bad thing, it's just different. I'd recommend the episode to anyone. It's got some good writing and fine acting.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

I think it works because it's uplifting message is contrasted by the sheer harshness and cruelty on display in the town. The first thing the nun running the mission does is call the police because some person is giving gifts to the people she's supposed to be taking care of. She's happy to preach at them but upset by the thought of somebody GIVING THEM things for FREE, that they DIDN'T EARN! Why they might sell these things to buy alcohol and drugs! =o

The protagonists gets into way more trouble for altruistic behavior that harms nobody than he does for slowly destroying himself. Falling down drunk at work got him fired, but giving toys and good cheer to strangers almost got him ten years in the slammer. I think it highlights how this attitude is courageous, especially in a day where we are told that sharing is Evil Socialism and giving free stuff to people will only encourage Laziness.

[ChrisTheLovableJerk]

I love this episode, it's a must watch for Christmas viewing.

[Edvarius]

A lot of the twist endings were to people who got hit by karma from the fifth dimension.

Eh, could be argued that this ending was karmic too. He got just what he deserved in the end.

[Darth Wedgius]

A lot of the twist endings were to people who got hit by karma from the fifth dimension.

Eh, could be argued that this ending was karmic too. He got just what he deserved in the end.

No argument with that here.

[FaxModem1]

Episode always makes me cry, at first for how cruel the world is. Then for how swell things turn out. All in all, a great episode.

[Wargriffin]

This is one of those episodes you watch to feel better...


You watch the Outer Limits to help you drink